


The Birdcage

by Tory (Ejes)



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Also pony stickers, Ansem - Freeform, Does counting the Norts help you sleep, Friendship, I mean perhaps, Loneliness, Organisation XIII, Romance, SOMANYNORTS, Saïx is a good CEO, The best character isn't even named, VIP guest, Vanitas just slacks off, Xehanort - Freeform, Xemnas - Freeform, or perhaps not, prisoner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-03-13 12:39:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13570767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ejes/pseuds/Tory
Summary: Leaving the Realm of Darkness had been Aqua's dream for these ten years. Being free. Being out. And suddenly, out she was. But did that mean she was free? All of a sudden, the Realm of Darkness didn't look that bad, after all.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome for yet another fic about Aqua! (I know, surprising, right)  
> This is the prologue (meaning my Chapter 1 will be marked as Chap 2 etc, so confusing @_@ ), the actual chapters will be slightly longer, but I needed this to set up the mood. Anyway, enjoy!  
> [by the way this fic shares some headcanon with Secret Place, a bit more like Easter Eggs. You don't have to have read it to understand what's going on but you might catch the occasional references ;) ]

One step after another. Walking was as much a reflex as breathing was to her, now. Aqua let out a sigh. She had lost count of the time ages ago, but she knew she had been there for a long time. A  _ very _ long time.

She had met this man, not so long ago. Oh, perhaps it was long ago, actually, but if she took her arrival here as an origin, the meeting with the man still was pretty recent. Hard to tell for sure.

Her eyes caught a strange light, and she stopped. She had seen such a light before. It almost looked like a portal. Was the Realm of Darkness playing with her mind? That wouldn’t be a first. The last portal of light she saw smelled of sea. She could hear the waves. She could feel the breeze on her face. Oh, what a sweet dream it had been! She had rushed to it, seeing in it a way out. But the Realm of Darkness was pretty  _ protective _ and not ready to let her out. She managed to put her right foot on the sand, before the darkness swallowed her back. She still could feel the cold fingers of the Darkside closing down on her ankle, pulling her back. And worst of all - she could still feel Master Keeper in her hand… She had summoned it to defend herself, but when the portal closed, the only way to get her hand back was to drop the weapon. Since then, she couldn’t summon it.

Now defenseless, weaponless, she had spent a whole day (was it really a day? Hard to tell) crying and screaming of frustration. 

So when that portal appeared, she was reluctant to go closer. To get fooled, again. To be reminded how she would spend the rest of her days here. Soon, it would close, and her plain, boring, walking life would resume. She wouldn’t be tricked again.

“Aqua!”

That voice! It was so distant, she couldn’t recognize it. But someone called her. Someone from the other side of the portal.

A hand appeared, a gloved hand stretching out, reaching for her. Whoever it was, they knew better than to step into this place.

“Aqua!”

Whose voice was that? Could she trust it? Wasn’t it all just a trick once again?

“Aqua!”

Was it a trick? She suddenly didn’t care. Because it could as well be real. If it was a trick, she would keep walking. It was okay. She was used to it. But if it was real…

She ran to that hand, and grabbed it. She could feel they were pulling her out, out of this place.

And she also felt the Darksides. Always, always there to stop her. They wrapped once again their fingers around her ankles. Around her hips. The dream would soon fade away, but she wasn’t ready to let go. And the hand was holding her strongly, too. Some magic spells were shot from the other side - a firaga missed her head of an inch - targeting the heartless. Slowly, their grip got lose, while the hand was pulling stronger. Her heart throbbed with hope.

And then, suddenly, they let go. The hand pulled her through the portal. She landed into arms that stopped her from falling.

She was out.

She was free.

She wouldn’t go back to that horrible place again.

She took a small step back, to have a look at her saviours.

Many of the faces were unfamiliar ones. Her heart almost exploded when she realised she knew some of them, though.

These silver hair she would not forget.

These spiky hair either.

The boy with the spiky hair, the one who took her out, the one who saved her, was the one to speak.

“Welcome back, Aqua.”

And suddenly she wanted to go back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know what's coming next, if you want to make theories (yes I know you already read the tags), please please please leave a review!  
> (was planning to post on ffnet as well but it seems to be down for now when it comes to upload stuff)  
> But anyway, reviews are an author's fuel so remember to leave one from time to time ;)


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning sunshine, rise and shine!"

She ignored him. Sitting on her white bed - everything was white, the bed, the walls, the floor, the desk, the chair… everything - she stretched. It was the first time in so long (more than ten years, they said) that she slept on an actual bed.

"Scrambled eggs for breakfast! They really are over protecting you. I would've got you a glass of water and some bread."

He put the tray on the desk and smiled at her - a terrifying smile, really.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I would sleep better if I were free, Braig."

The one-eyed man laughed. "The name's Xigbar now, cupcake."

"The name's always been Aqua, you monster."

He laughed again. "Didn't remember you were so spiteful last time! Ten years in the dark really change a man… or a woman, in our case. Enjoy your breakfast,  _Aqua_."

She looked at the tray. There was a fork next to the plate, and the glass of water wasn't made of plastic.

"Aren't you afraid I'd use these as weapons?"

"Weapons? Against who? I doubt you'd be able to win against any one of us using glass shards. And if you want to kill yourself using these… Suit yourself. Don't think you are valuable to us. Alive, you could be useful, but dead, that means the seven lights will never reunite. The best part is that they will keep looking for you  _forever_. So do whatever you'd like with our cutlery, I don't give a damn. We're kind enough to feed you and even provide you some distraction, but if you're dying, no one will bat an eye.  _No one_."

He opened a dark portal and left the room. She painfully knew what he had meant with his last words.

The day before, the day she got out, she was surrounded by unfamiliar faces, but also by some she knew.

Vanitas, the one who got her out, his spiky dark hair defying gravity.

Braig, the sharpshooter she fought on her last day, his hair now much longer.

And…

"Terra?"

He didn't even answer. His cold golden eyes pierced through her skin, hurting so much more than she'd ever admit. He looked like Terra. An older Terra, his skin darker, but still Terra. Of course. She lost him to Xehanort. The man in front of her was just the older version of Terra possessed.

"No luck. His name is Xemnas. Oh, and let me introduce you to… Xehanort, Xehanort, that one's Xehanort, and I think you've met Xehanort before?"

She had looked at Vanitas, lost. He was smirking. Of course he was. The only time she saw his face without a smirk was when…

"I defeated you before. Why are you here?"

"Why, aren't you happy to see me? If they found a way to bring you back, why wouldn't they bring me back too? You're nothing special, Aqua."

"Enough. You are here as our guest. Vanitas, take her to her room."

The voice was deeper than Terra's. Save from his appearance, they had nothing in common. Yet, Aqua couldn't help but hope that Terra was there, somehow. That she could save him. She had promised. Vanitas opened a dark portal and pushed her through it with no delicacy. That was how she ended up in this room.

Her scrambled eggs swallowed (her first meal in ten years, although she wasn't even that hungry), she took a look around. The room had no door. People came in and out using their portals, so there was no way out for her. And Xigbar had been right, she couldn't use anything as a weapon. She couldn't even cast spells anymore. She was just an useless girl locked in a big room.

She wasn't really keen on being locked, but the room was wide enough and bright enough so that she wouldn't feel to oppressed. Vanitas had joked about how Xemnas was the one to decide she would be kept here. Deep down, she prayed it meant that Terra remembered her fears - and made sure she wouldn't have a panic attack. There was a bathroom next to the bedroom, with a shower, a sink, and a lavatory.

The books left by her bed were ironically only stories where the bad guys would win. They had a twisted sense of humour. But she felt they would be her only company, so she would take really care of them. There were five of them - would she ever get any other once she was done? How long was she going to stay there anyway? She felt like she had just switched from a cage to another. Well, at least this one seemed safer - a bit. She had people to talk to, and who probably wouldn't try to kill her - although they wouldn't mind if she died. And she was in the Realm of Light. If she was still in a nightmare, at least this one seemed more bearable than the previous one.

She was lying on the bed, reading the first book, when she heard someone coming in. She knew she could try to escape, but that probably wasn't going to work. For now, she would stay there, try to learn as much as she could about this era - and then only she would try to run away.

"I hope you're not bored… 'cuz you'd better get used to it." She barely moved at Vanitas's voice. She wanted to ignore him. He picked the tray with a sigh, mumbling something. She stopped reading to listen to him, even though she still pretended to be focused on her book.

" _Come on, Vanitas, you should go. You're the youngest one anyway. No need to pout, I'm sure you both have plenty of things to talk about!_  Screw you, Xigbar. I'm no babysitter. Why am I treated like an intern? If anything, Saïx should do it. He's the last one to technically join the Nort family. Urgh, why do they treat me like a kid?"

"Perhaps because you keep acting like one?" Aqua couldn't stop the words from leaving her tongue. She couldn't just ignore him. She was so angry at him. He was the one who ruined her life. Her friends' lives. And now he was also the one who tricked her, to trap her once again.

"Xigbar was right, you learnt to answer back! Impressive. Still a long road ahead to actually say mean things, but that's a good start."

"If you are so unhappy to keep an eye on me, just let me leave. That would set us both free."

He pretended to think about it.

"That's an interesting plan… But seeing you prisoner here is too funny. That's payback for killing me."

"When did they bring you back?"

He smirked. "You're so desperate for company you'd even try to have an actual conversation with me? I can't tell if that's cute or pitiful."

"Very well, don't answer, then. My book is probably more interesting than whatever story you could tell anyway."

She focused back on her book, ignoring his sarcastic laugh. He said something back she didn't listen, and left with the tray. Once he was gone, she sighed. Xigbar, she could somehow deal with. But Vanitas? She wasn't sure she'd ever forget what he did to Ventus. In the Realm of Darkness, in most of her dreams, she'd recall how he took possession of Ventus's body, how she feared Ven might be lost forever. Because of him, she wasn't even sure she remembered Ven's real voice.

Hate was the way to darkness. Well, she came back from darkness and she had plenty of hate available for Vanitas and Master Xehanort.

Before she knew it, Vanitas was back. She glared at him in silence, and he put another tray on the desk.

"Lunch.  _Bon appétit_." He pretended to leave, but changed his mind and came back.

On the tray, next to the steaming plate, there was an apple. He took a bite in it.

"Mmh, that's a tasty one. You would have loved it. A shame there was only one and I'm hungry. See you for dinner! Enjoy your book, by the way."

He left, eating the apple under Aqua's cold glare. She didn't say a thing. She got up, sat at the desk, and ate her slice of meat pie. Whoever was cooking, the food tasted delicious. She wondered if they were poisoning her, but thought they probably didn't. If they wanted her dead, they just had to murder her.

Why were they keeping her alive? Perhaps they were keeping her for bartering. Xigbar mentioned something - the seven lights. What was it? The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember where she heard it.

She shrugged. Perhaps she'd learn more next time he'd visit. If he visited. Her other option was… She shivered. She really didn't want to talk to Vanitas.

She had no way of knowing what time it was. Her stomach started growling and she smiled - that sound had gotten unfamiliar, as she didn't feel hunger in the Realm of Darkness. It was probably around dinner time. She had finished the second book, and she was bored. She caught herself thinking that in the Realm of Darkness, at least she had a goal. Something to do. She had to keep walking until she'd find a way out. She had monsters to fight. Here, she had nothing at all, no goal, nothing to fight. No weapon. A bird in a cage that had no chance of flying away. So instead, the book was the one flying, thrown onto the wall facing her.

"Was the end of it that frustrating?"

She turned her head to see Vanitas smirking, the food in his hand. Would she spend her life reading and eating? The lack of exercise wouldn't help her stay fit.

"I'm frustrated I didn't wait a minute longer. I would have thrown it straight into your face."

"But I'm bringing you food! You can't bite the hand that feeds you."

"Want to bet about that?"

He laughed. "Oh, no, I'm sure that if you had your weapon, you would already have sliced me. I can see in your eyes that the naive little girl is long gone."

"All thanks to you."

He put the tray on the table and sat on the chair, crossing his legs.

"Well, I must say you are a bit more interesting than the girl from back then. More broken. How was it? The Realm of Darkness, I mean. The only glimpses I get are from our corridors, so I have no idea of what it looks like."

He took the yoghurt from her tray and shamelessly started eating it. Aqua got up, took the plate (rice and meat with gravy) and went back to her bed. Realising she had forgotten to take the fork, she stared at her plate, furious. She didn't want to go back, especially when he was sitting next to what she needed.

"Here." He threw her the fork and the knife with a smirk. "So. Realm of Darkness?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Especially with you."

"Come on, I took you out of there after all."

"Yes, and what for? To keep me locked here? Do you expect gratitude?"

He shrugged. "That couldn't have been worse than my own ten years, anyway."

She tried to hide that his sentence had piqued her curiosity, but he noticed with a grin.

"How about a deal? You tell me and I tell you?"

She turned her head away. "I don't make deals with freaks."

"You usually don't, but let's get real: I'm the only distraction you'll get. Feel lucky they didn't actually send Saïx, he wouldn't even have spared you a look."

"Lucky me."

After a short silence (that she spent eating, the food really was delicious - who cooked it?), she finally sighed.

"Very well. The Realm of Darkness is a place that plays with your mind. It will show you familiar places, familiar faces - all distorted with darkness. There are heartless everywhere, trying to get you, trying to destroy you. It's an endless night, there is no wind, no birds chirping, a path that never ends. You could fall asleep in one place, wake up in another. Nothing made sense there. The temperature never changed, but you could suddenly get terribly cold, or suffocating because of the heat. Normal laws don't apply there, you don't get hungry, you don't get tired. I only slept out of habit, when I found a safe place. It's a very lonely place, a place trying to break you from the inside, to play on your fears, to eat up your light. Happy now?"

He didn't react. She expected him to smirk (oh she hated that smirk), but he didn't. It looked like he was thinking. When he finally answered, his voice was serious.

"Okay, maybe that was as bad as my own experience. Want to hear it?"

"That was the deal."

"When you destroyed me, when Ventus destroyed me, I vanished into thin air. It's hard to explain. I had no body left, I was just stuck in a dark place… But I could feel the time go. I honestly have no idea where I was. All I know is that I've been conscious for ten years, conscious but unable to see a thing, to hear, to talk, to move… All I could do was thinking. They brought me back three months ago. How, I don't know either. Magic, technology, keyblade? One day I was this conscience floating in a puddle of darkness, the next one I woke up there. How sweet it was to wake up to Master Xehanort himself… Such a loving master, he did all he could to bring me back…"

The irony was strong, but there was still a thing Aqua didn't understand.

"Why did they bring you back? Why did they bring  _me_  back? I don't get it."

Vanitas jumped on his feet.

"That story will be for another day. It's almost bedtime, you know. Good girls like you should go to sleep."

He got up, took (snatched) the empty plate from her hands and threw it on the tray. He piled up the two trays (the one from lunch and the one from dinner) and opened a portal.

His hands were full. If she ran now, she could make it. But where to go? That was pointless, and they both knew it. That was the reason he opened the portal that soon. He wanted to test her. Well, she would disappoint him.

"Vanitas?"

"Yup?"

"Why did you tell me all of this? What's your point, exactly?"

He stopped right before the portal and looked straight into her eyes. She shivered.

"Let's just say… I know what lonely feels like. Maybe I just wanted to have someone I could talk to." He shook his head and grinned. "Or maybe I just want to play with your feelings, making you think I'm actually a good guy so that you'd feel guilty for killing me. Who knows? Breakfast is served at eight, but I sleep 'till at least ten so don't expect to see me tomorrow morning. See ya!"

Once again alone, Aqua laid back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She shouldn't feel pity for him. Just like he said - all of that was probably some manipulation. And after ten years of loneliness, he still chose to be on the wrong side.

She wouldn't feel bad for him. She would take benefit of their conversation to learn about the world, but that was it.

She would use him to open her cage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued...~  
> [friendly reminder that Aqua is much darker in this fic than in canon, due to the decade in the RoD that might have gotten her slightly on her nerves. Oh, you know, just a tiny bit.]
> 
> Now on to talking about that new KHIII trailer (that you should go and watch if you haven't already. If you want no spoiler, stop reading here ;) )
> 
> I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! That was an awesome one. Like, I clearly didn't expect Marlu to show up, and like, is he part of the Organization? If so, don't they ever learn? And what if he never had been a traitor? And there was Vani WEARING A BLACK COAT AS WELL that was crazy I was so so so happy! I do like Riku's new design, but he's a bit too Noctis-like for me. Also I think there won't be any Atlantica, and that's nice. There's just so many things that will happen in KHIII story-wise, this game is going to reach such a complexity! Can't wait for E3 to know the date of release, I'm hoping for a November release or so (not too far from Christmas would be great!) What did you think of the trailer? Are you excited? (oh and what did you think of the chapter? Just remembered that's what you came for... 8'D )


	3. Chapter 3

Aqua guessed it was eight when she woke up, because Xigbar showed up in the room with the food. Scrambled eggs, like the day before, and a cup of coffee. She had to admit she didn’t expect such a treatment. She even told her surprise to Xigbar, who laughed.

“Boss’s orders. He said you were a  _ guest _ and should be treated as such.”

“A guest that can’t go out?”

“If you’d rather think of yourself as our pet, suit yourself.”

“Which one is the boss, anyway? Master Xehanort?”

A silence followed and Xigbar kind of frowned before laughing.

“That’s actually a good question! Is it Xemnas? Is it one of the Xehanorts? No idea, kiddo. I just call them all boss and they all seem happy ‘bout that. But when it comes to you, most of the orders are from Xemnas. This place is his, after all. Maybe he’s got a thing for you.”

He winked (or perhaps he blinked, since he had only one eye she couldn’t tell) and she did her best to shush her anger. He was messing with her feelings and she knew it. He was trying to bring her hopes back, and she hated to admit it worked. She needed to change the topic.

“If I am a guest, then can I at least have some requests?”

“You can ask, can’t tell if we’ll listen to them.”

“I would like other books. I’ve read half of them already. I’d like some paper and a pen, too. And if I could get tea rather than coffee…”

“I said guest, not VIP, cupcake. Wouldn’t the princess want a pony with all of that?”

She shrugged. “You said to ask. I asked.” She took the coffee from the tray and sipped it. At least there was some sugar in there, so it wasn’t too bitter. Terra always had been quite the coffee addict, he would have loved this one.

“I’ve got some stuff to do. Unlike you, there are busy people around here. The kid will bring you lunch. Until then.. Do something, don’t, I don’t care.”

“Xigbar, wait! One last question.”

“What is it that you want this time?”

“Is there any way I could get some other clothes, or at least get my current ones washed? I’ve been wearing those… For a long time.”

Xigbar smirked. “I’ll give the message to whoever cares. We’ll see if they are willing to help you or not.” On these words, he opened a portal and left.

Aqua refused to think about the possibility that Terra could be the reason she was treated so well, so she had to get herself busy.

It wasn’t easy in such an empty room. But luckily, stormy days in the Land of Departure had taught her how to stay busy with little to do.

In the Realm of Darkness, she had followed a daily training practise. Routine kept her somewhat sane most of the time. She couldn’t really do the running part, but she could keep on doing the cardio training.

A hundred pushups. A hundred crunches. A hundred squats. Keeping her body in shape kept her mind in shape too. She didn’t think while training. Her mind was empty, and it was better this way.

* * *

 

Out of breath and sweating at the end of her training, she was considering a shower when the portal opened. Vanitas came in, and frowned while looking at her.

“What are you doing?”

“I can’t just spend my days eating and sleeping. That’s not good for health. I need training.”

“What for? So you can be strong enough to defeat all of us?”

She ignored the sarcasm in his voice. “So that I have something to do. The activities here are quite limited.

“Oh, yeah, about that.” He put the tray on the table and whistled. A strange creature, as white as the room, walked (crawled?) into the room, a box in its arms. Vanitas took the box and opened it.

“Here. Xigbar gave us your shopping list, and it looks like Xemnas was on a good mood. New books. Paper. Pencils. Xigbar threw in these pony stickers, don’t ask me why I have no idea. And…”

He took a black thing from the bottom of the box and unfolded it. It was a coat, similar to the ones most of them wore. “Xemnas said it belonged to a former member of his organization. Should be your size. This guy” He looked at the white creature “will collect your clothes on the evening and bring them clean to you on the morning. Seriously, I don’t think  _ I _ get such a good treatment. I should consider being prisoner.”

“The food is good but I wouldn’t say the activities are really thrilling.”

“Oh, come on, are you planning to stay angry forever?”

“Oh, no. Just until I’m set free.”

“Mmmh, that’s still a very long time then. Good luck with that.”

He left, letting the white thing take her breakfast tray, his usual insupportable smirk on, and of course her dessert in the hand. Aqua realised she didn’t get to ask him more about the reason she was there.

There was still dinner time.

* * *

After her meal, she finally took a shower. She had longed for one for… a decade? Hygiene wasn’t her top priority in the Realm of Darkness, but it felt incredibly good to feel the burning water on her skin. For the first time in forever, she felt alive. 

After the shower, she wrapped herself in the comfy (white of course) towels that were left for her, before finally taking the black coat. She expected it to be heavy, but it wasn’t that much. The lining kept her warm but not too hot, and she could easily move with it.

She decided to have a look at the books Vanitas had brought. There were much more of it. Some of them were novels, while some talked about various topics, such as the stars, or about myths and legends. Did he pick them randomly? There was the volume two of a series without the other volumes. She smiled bitterly - just because they accepted her requests didn’t mean they would do them properly. At least the coat fit her and the other books sounded great. The pony stickers even made her laugh. She stuck one of them on the first page of the pile of paper, and the others on the walls. At least that brought some colours on the monochrome walls.

She sat comfortably on the bed and took a book. She sighed, thinking of how long the day would be.

* * *

 

“Hey. Food.”

She was finishing her book when Vanitas came in. He looked in a particularly bad mood. She half expected him to drop the tray on the table and leave, but instead he sat on the chair and crossed his arms. She got up, took the plate (apparently some ham and beans), the fork, and sat back on the bed.

“There are days I kind of get why you hate us so much. These guys are real bastards.”

He paused, probably hoping she would ask what happened. She did not. He answered nevertheless, his mouth full of the apple he just bit into.

“I spend the whole afternoon following a track, also setting loads of Unversed free all over the place, to find nothing and be chased by enormous monsters, only to come back and learn that Saïx and Xigbar sent me there because they bet on how long it would take me to come back home. Ugh. I could have died for all they care. I’m one of the Thirteen, and they are betting on my  _ life _ .”

“Xigbar talked about Seven Lights before, and you are talking about the  _ Thirteen _ . What does it all mean?”

His eyes were still angry, but he smirked.

“This, my dear Aqua, is the reason they brought us back. Ever heard of the Final War, the Seven Guardians of Lights and the Thirteen Vessels of Darkness?”

That was a story she heard from her Master when she was young, but she couldn’t remember it very well, so she shook her head. Vanitas sighed.

“Wanna play cards?”

“Excuse me?”

He showed a deck of cards in his hand. “I’m going to tell you that story, but we might as well do something meanwhile.”

He shuffled the cards and sat on the ground. She sat  facing him.

“Okay, so long story short.” He started as soon as they both had the same number of cards in their hands. “There is a war coming between Light and Darkness. Thirteen Vessels of Darkness will fight Seven Guardians of Light. Thirteen against seven, and they call that balanced. Anyway, both camp has been looking for their own soldiers, and that’s why we were brought back. I’m a vessel, you’re a guardian. As long as we keep you here, the balance is broken and Darkness will prevail. Oh, I won!  Want a return match?”

“I’m shuffling. So we spent ten years trapped in a living hell, and you are telling me we’ve been brought back to fight again?”

“That’s the idea. You start.”

“What if I refuse?”

“To start?”

“To fight. I’m dreaming about peace. I’ve been fighting for my life for ten years. All I want is to sit back and enjoy peace.”

“Well, that’s what we are offering to you! Here you can sit all day and not fight. How nice is that?”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“We are tools, Aqua. Never think of us as anything else. Tools in something bigger than me. Do as I do and accept it without questioning it. It makes things easier.”

“I can’t. I don’t care about how you chose to live your life, but I want to live as a human being, with choices, with decisions. My victory. Decider?”

“Okay, one last game, then I leave.”

Aqua finally dared asking one of the questions she’d been wondering for a long time. From back when she was in the Realm of Darkness.

“Do you know someone named Sora?”

Vanitas froze for a couple of seconds. He tried to act natural afterwards, but her look told him she had noticed.

“How do  _ you _ know that name?”

“I met him. Long ago. Who is he exactly?”

“He, Aqua, is  _ the _ most wanted person here. If I captured him, I’m sure I’d be promoted King or something. Xehanort might even give me my own world. He is the one who destroyed all of Xehanort’s plans, Xemnas’s plans, and basically everyone’s plans. He is our number one target. The main Light. That’s who he is.”

“And he’s… Looking for me?”

Vanitas chuckled. “Yeah, he is. He’s pretty determined to save all of his guardians. But as long as he still thinks you’re in the Realm of Darkness, that’s fine for us. Tch, you win again. Time to go.”

“What about the other guardians? Who are they?”

“Be a good girl, behave, and I might tell you tomorrow.”

He took the tray and opened the portal. He left without a word, his eyes hardening again, as if he just remembered why he was in a bad mood when he first came in.

Aqua couldn’t help but notice he left the deck of cards on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the most difficult part of writing this fic was that Aqua had really no distraction, so describing her days without being "she spent the whole day staring at a wall" was quite a hard job. This could be why she gets so much company, actually xD


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've put on my profile a link to my publication planning! That way, you can have a sneak peek at what will come out ;) (weekly fics such as Birdcage and Apology Book are only written on the day they feature, because I like to keep the number of chapters secret :p )
> 
> In this chapter, what was supposed to be the main plot of this fic finally appears, yaaay!

Days went by, looking pretty much the same. Xigbar bringing breakfast, eggs and a cup of delicious, floral tea instead of the coffee. He first made fun of how she decorated the room with the stickers, but ended up bringing her more absurd ones (so far she had stickers of flowers, of stars, of dinosaurs and of fruits) to see where she would put them. She would sometimes make some requests that would or wouldn't be accepted (she had now a clock and a hairbrush, but didn't get a kettle or needles to knit). She would do her daily training then take a shower, and Vanitas would show up for lunch. They weren't much talkative at that hour, he would only bring the food and the stuff she requested before leaving for whatever mission he had. She'd spend the afternoon reading, drawing or writing (she wanted to note down what she remembered of the Realm of Darkness - this knowledge could be useful to others), and then Vanitas would come back for dinner, and he would give her some information of what happened in these last ten years, about heartless and nobodies. Even though Aqua still disliked the boy (hard to forget what he did), she at least enjoyed having someone to talk to, and she felt that he enjoyed chatting and playing too even though he didn't like her either. From what she understood, he was pretty lonely too.

Around two weeks after her 'arrival', as he was gulping down her dessert, he asked her a pretty serious question.

"You always ask me a lot of things about everything, but you never ask about Ventus or Terra. Why?"

She didn't answer at first. She wasn't even sure she knew the answer. Upon her silence, he finally left, coughing as some crumbs of the cake were stuck in his throat.

* * *

"I'm not sure I'm ready for the answer, whatever that is." She finally spilled the next day, as she was braiding a bracelet with the threads Vanitas had brought her.

"The answer to what question?" He asked, puzzled.

"You wanted to know why I never asked about Terra and Ventus. That's because I'm afraid of the answer."

He frowned. He probably didn't understand what she could be scared of. In a way, he was right, that was stupid to be afraid.

"I saw Xemnas the day you took me out of… out of there. He looks so much like Terra… And from what you told me about Nobodies and everything, I suppose he is the Nobody of who Terra became? Well, that's what I'm scared of. I'm not sure I want to know if Terra is still there or not. I'm afraid he's not, afraid he's lost forever, but also afraid he's here, powerless, having spent ten years like a puppet. Same goes for Ventus. I'm afraid he never woke up, afraid he'll never wake up, and afraid he woke up and now lives in this scary world without us. Afraid he'd be looking for us, while thinking we might be lost forever, and afraid he gave up on us. I don't want to know, because I don't think there's a single answer I would like."

"So you don't ask… because you care?"

She gave him a sad smile as an answer. She didn't expect him to understand. It took a heart for that, and that was something he was lacking.

"There, I'm done! Would you mind tying it to my wrist?"

Vanitas helped her, knotting it around her arm. It was quite a simple bracelet, with orange, blue and green threads. He smirked but didn't say a word about it.

"Oh, by the way, I won't be the one to keep you company tomorrow. I'm being sent somewhere. Don't know when I'll come back, or if I come back."

"Okay."

"You don't even tell me to be careful? I'm hurt, really."

"From what you said, your death might be an advantage for the upcoming war. So no, I won't tell you to be careful."

He laughed. "Fair enough. Quite frankly, I can't even say I'd be sad if I found out you killed yourself over night. Quite a duo we are, aren't we?"

She shrugged. "We are not friends. We only talk out of boredom. If one disappeared, the other would just be bored again. End of the story."

He got up and opened a portal.

"Aqua?"

"Yes?"

"Do you still think of running away?"

"All the time."

He smirked and left, carefully closing the portal behind him. She couldn't tell if the last sound he made was a laugh or a cough.

* * *

Saïx was the one who brought her food for the next week. He was exactly as Vanitas described: he didn't spare her a look and didn't answer her questions. Even her  _Good Morning_. He came in at eight o'clock, twelve o'clock and seven o'clock sharp, switched the old tray for the new one and left. At some point, she could have sworn he glared at her with all the hate he could gather - but perhaps that was his usual face. She wouldn't know. She had finished her books once again, but he didn't bring any new one. She had made six new bracelets she wouldn't wear, the floor was covered with animal origamis, and the desk full of her memoirs. Playing cards alone was boring. Everything was boring. She trained twice as much to get busy. Took two showers in the same day. Measured the dimensions of the room. Thought of the best places to hide, the best plan to run away.

She was beyond bored.

* * *

"Missed me?"

That was the first voice (save hers) she heard in over a week. She was hiding in her bed, her head buried under the pillow, when she heard him.

"Oh. So you died in your sleep. Guess I'll eat these pancakes myself."

She threw her pillow at him. When she finally opened her eyes, he was grinning, sitting on her chair. And eating a pancake.

"Oh. So you are alive."

"Is that relief? Disappointment?"

"Neither. Since when are you the one bringing me my breakfast as well?"

"Missing good old Xiggy? Sorry to bring those news to you, but…" He paused dramatically, while Aqua stretched and sat up.

"But?"

"He's not dead. I just woke up early so I volunteered for breakfast as well." He coughed, and Aqua frowned. If he caught a cold, she'd rather not catch it.

"That was quite a long mission."

"It was. Did you worry I wouldn't come back?"

"Do you want me to?"

He laughed and handed her the plate. He had eaten half the pancakes already. "That would be weird. We tracked down one of our target on six different worlds - he's pretty good at running away. But we managed to find him yesterday."

Aqua raised an eyebrow, unshaken. If he expected she would react, she would disappoint him.

"Does that mean I'm getting a new roommate?"

"Afraid not. You won't get the chance of meeting him."

"So you killed him?"

Vanitas didn't answer, and Aqua gulped down her pancakes. The tea was different, too. It tasted of citrus.

"Who is the cook, here? They're really good."

"He attacked us."

"The cook? … Oh. That was to be expected. You can't hunt someone down and expect them to go without a fight."

"Don't you think we didn't know? What I mean is…"

"You lost. That's what you mean. He beat you both."

Vanitas frowned. "Let's just say he  _escaped_. And Xigbar is the one who got blamed for that. So he took the blame on me afterwards."

"Is that why you're here? To run away from them?"

Vanitas didn't answer. Surprisingly, learning that he failed didn't make Aqua much happier. Or sadder. She was completely indifferent. After all, perhaps the Vessels' targets were her allies, but she didn't know them at all. She met Sora and Riku when they were child. Mickey and Yen Sid she knew better, but from what she heard, they rarely were on the fighting lines. She had troubles worrying for anyone but Terra and Ventus.

"So tell me, Aqua. What did you do while I was gone?"

"Won't you try to guess?"

He looked around and nodded. "I see. You were quite busy. So you weren't bored I guess! Was Saïx a good host?"

She gave him a desperate look and he laughed.

"Tell me. I want to know."

"He never spoke to me. Not once. I still don't know what his voice sounds like. When I asked for anything, he would ignore me… Well, even more than what he already did. He never stayed more than a minute. And if you saw the way he looked at me… What is wrong with him?"

"Wrong? Should I remind you that we are the  _villains_? We all should be wrong to you."

"And you are, but he's worse. It almost felt personal."

"I have my theory, but…"

"What is it?"

"He'll kill me if he knows I told you that. But that's worth the risk."

Vanitas cleared his throat and lowered his voice, as if telling a secret.

"See, he is obsessed with Xemnas. He doesn't care much about the other Xehanorts, but he really wants to be seen as a good boy by his former leader. I can't say if Xemnas really cares. But since you arrived, you are treated like a guest, with a lot of decency, and he grants most of your requests. If you want to know, I think he's jealous. There can be only one blue-haired favourite and he wants to be the one."

Aqua crossed her arms.

"So he hates me because he's jealous? If he doesn't want me here, he can just set me free."

"I think he's considering killing you, actually."

"If he did, would someone stop him?"

Vanitas thought about it. "Probably not."

"Lovely."

He shrugged with a smile. "Perhaps I'll tell him that's a bad idea. I doubt he'd listen, but I can do this much for you."

"That's too kind of you. Now if you'd excuse me, I have to train."

Vanitas pouted. "I don't want to go back. Seeing Xigbar's face will ruin my mood."

"Why would that be my problem?"

"Oh, come on! Can't I train with you?"

"Can you keep up?"

"Wanna bet?"

He smirked and she smiled back. She wouldn't make any concession.

At the fiftieth pushup, she could see how painful he was. But he didn't give up.

At the eightieth crunch, his face was bright red. But he made it to the hundredth.

At the twentieth squat, he started coughing so badly he had to stop definitely, and she continued on her own.

Having finished her training, she threw him a bottle of water.

"Your throat must be dry. Drink up. And get that cold fixed."

He drank the whole content of the bottle bottoms up.

"Should I go get your lunch?"

"I'd like to take a shower first. Can it wait for at least half an hour?"

He shrugged. "As you wish. You are our beloved  _guest_  after all."

"Oh, Vanitas?"

"Yup?"

"Could I get some new books? And could you stop bringing volumes two or three of a saga before the volume one?"

He looked puzzled. "Uh, okay. I'll see what I can get you. You should read slower, there aren't that many books around, though."

"If you let me come with you I could choose the ones I want."

"Nice try! But no. We can't show you the backstages, it would ruin the magic. You'll read what I bring you and even pretend to be glad I chose these ones - although let's be honest, I'm nothing of a bookworm and I have no idea what they are talking about."

He opened a portal and took the tray. "I'll be back in thirty minutes top. If you are still in the shower or naked or whatever, that won't be my problem, so it's best if you hurry a bit."

As soon as he closed the portal, she took her coat off and ran to the shower. The shampoo smelled nice and the soap too. Even her freshly washed clothes smelled good. She could blame them for many things (including sequestration, world destruction and poor education), but they knew how to keep a house.

She cleaned up a bit the room while waiting for Vanitas. She threw away most of her origamis, piled up her memoirs, made her bed.

But Vanitas didn't come.

* * *

An hour after the decided time, a portal finally opened. She was about to tease him about being late, when she realised it wasn't him. It was Saïx, the tray in his hands.

"Where is Vanitas?" Of course, he remained silent. He tried to leave, but she ran to the portal. They had so much confidence lately, they wouldn't even try to close it while they were in the room. They didn't expect her to run away.

To be fair, she didn't run this time either. She just stood in front of the portal, arms crossed, blocking the way.

"Is there anything wrong with me? Or is it just that you can't speak? At least Xigbar and Vanitas speak their mind. Why don't you try?"

He glared at her, but finally,  _finally_  spoke.

"I don't quite understand why they are keeping you. We are wasting some resources, water, food, staff on you. With you dead, we are almost certain to win this war. Keeping you alive risks our whole plan. You are probably costing us more than what we will gain from keeping you here. We have no time to lose on you, and yet Vanitas would rather hide here and play games with you rather than go on missions.  _This_  is what is wrong with you."

Aqua wanted to argue with that, but the only way would be to imply that he should kill her, which she'd rather not. In a way, she could get his point. She did not share it, but she got it.

"And since you asked, Vanitas is currently receiving what he deserves for failing his previous mission. I wouldn't expect him to bring your dinner either. Now, I have work to do, because there are at least a few persons actually working here."

She stepped aside and he disappeared without any other word.

Vanitas didn't bring dinner either. Saïx put the tray in silence and left.

No matter how good the food was, Aqua somehow found it tasteless that day.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to say I disagree with Saïx, but... He's right, in a way, isn't it? Saïx is actually a good CEO. A terrible person, incredibly salty, but he's at least a good CEO v_v
> 
> Also, if you read Secret Place, there are some shared headcanons that might explain some of Vanitas's behaviour... Just saying :p


	5. Chapter 5

He came back the next day for lunch. She copied his smirk.

"To think I hurried to take my shower… Thanks for nothing."

He grimaced. "Well at least you got to take a shower and enjoy a peaceful day. Some didn't get that chance."

"Saïx mentioned you being punished or something?"

"So he speaks, only to say that? Well, given how much I trash him, that's fair enough."

"What kind of punishment was it?"

He tried to answer, but got caught in some more coughing. It took him a couple of minutes to be able to speak again.

"Have you ever tried to know how long you can resist the burning of a flame?"

"What?"

"Or how long you will last poisoned before your health gets too low?"

"They _tortured_ you?"

"That was either that or write an apology letter I'd have to read to everyone."

"You are not serious."

"That's because I refused the letter that Xigbar got imaginative. As long as I'm alive, that's what matters."

Aqua didn't even try to hide her disdain. "I can't believe it. You all really are monsters."

He laughed. "We are just tough. That's it."

It would probably have sounded tough indeed if he didn't start coughing again and again. Aqua frowned.

"You really need to get that cured."

"Are you worried about me?"

"I'm worried I'd get sick too."

He smirked. "Yeah, right. Well, I have no time to stay here forever today, I wouldn't want them to get mad at me! See you later!"

He winked, took the dessert from her lunch and disappeared from the room.

* * *

When he came back for dinner, his face was paler than usual. He handed some new books to Aqua, some threads, and her food.

"You look terrible."

"Thanks. You should see your face, though. It's as if you didn't see sunlight for a decade."

She threw a pen at him, that he dodged with a laugh.

"What kind of mission do you do for them?"

"That's classified. I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you."

"Who are you afraid I'd tell them to? The Dusks?"

"We never know, imagine you'd find the perfect plan to run away, and then tell our evil plan to the world!"

She gave him an unfazed look that made him laugh more (and obviously cough more, that was now part of the package).

"Yeah, I thought so too. Oh, after all, why not? That must be more interesting than these books."

He stretched and yawned. "My daily duty is to send more and more Unversed to every world. The other Norts are collecting hearts and turning people into Heartless, while my job is to slow the guardians down. We are trying to find where they hide, too. Rumours are their headquarters are in the Mysterious Tower, but that's a place we can't reach. Old Man Yen Sid knows how to put on solid barriers. Anyway, we sometimes know that one of them will be at a certain place so we are sent on missions to find them."

"What will you do, if you find them? Kill them? Make them prisoners?"

"Most of them we could use to lure Sora. Xehanort wants to kill him himself. I think Saïx has priority if we capture that Lea guy… and Old Xehanort and myself are still arguing over who would get to kill Ventus."

A silence followed the last statement. Aqua closed her eyes. At least, Ven was alive. She didn't need to know more.

"By the way, I'm going back tomorrow. The old man is sending me to Radiant Garden for a couple of days. Apparently, many of them have been seen around."

"Will you fight them?"

"Not this time. I have to follow them - to get to know what they usually do. Being sneaky is my specialty, you know."

Aqua's face showed how little she believed him. "Yes, you are so silent no one will ever know you are there. Ever."

"What do you…" He sneezed. "Oh. That. Yeah. Well, I'll hold them back."

She sighed. "Are you even considering seeing a doctor?"

"What for?"

"That's irresponsible of you. And of your bosses. Would Saïx regard healing you a waste of resources as well?"

"I think Saïx sees _me_ as a waste of resources anyway. I might be the person he dislikes the most after you."

"I'm not sure he likes anyone."

"True that" They both laughed for a moment. Vanitas finally smirked at Aqua.

"I think that's the first time I hear you laugh."

She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Her own body - her own brain betrayed her. How could she laugh when she was being captive, when they tricked her, when her life was an endless nightmare?

"That might be the last."

"Let's hope not. Not that I care, though." He smiled, and that smile looked sincere.

They played cards until very late, even long after Aqua had started yawning. It almost looked like Vanitas didn't want to leave. But when she almost fell asleep picking a card, he finally decided to go.

"See you soon, then. Good night."

She smiled back, half asleep already. "Good night, Vanitas. Take care. And don't kill my friends."

He opened a portal and smirked.

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

* * *

When Xigbar showed up with breakfast on the following day, Aqua glared at him.

"Vanitas needs to see a doctor."

"Oh, does he? Could it be that you care about him?"

"Xigbar, he coughs all over the room and I have no way of airing this place. If I get sick, you won't care and let me die. So I do hope you'll at least care about one of yours."

Xigbar smirked.

"Yeah, we all are a big family. Caring for one another. We'll even sing him a song before he goes to bed."

Aqua sighed. "What's for breakfast?"

"Well, it looks like our chef found the little appreciation note you hid under your plate. You are getting a fruit salad and the finest tea around. Saïx was furious. Which is why I thought that was hilarious and brought it to you when he wanted to throw it away."

Aqua smirked, an expression she had stolen from Vanitas. She always left a thank you note under her plate before the tray was taken away. Perhaps the cook was the biggest villain of them all - perhaps it was Master Xehanort himself (although she seriously doubted it), but the food was always tasty, and she felt she should at least express gratitude over that. She had asked on her last note if she could possibly get some fruits. Her wish had been granted. And if that annoyed Saïx, that was even better.

She took her time to eat her breakfast. Once she was done, she folded a thank you note under the plate and started her daily exercising.

In the afternoon, she listed on paper all the things she'd like to do once she would be out of here. Find Zack, have that date they'd promised. Go back to Disney Town and beat everyone's score at Fruits Scatter. Sit on the beach in Destiny Islands and finally put her feet in the sea. Pay a visit to the Lost Boys in Neverland. Make sure Experiment 626 was alright.

Find Ventus and hug him.

Save Terra and slap him for worrying her. Then hug him too. Probably slap him a second time.

She looked at her list with the beginning of a smile. That was quite a programme. All she had to do was run away. But not today.

Dinner time came. Xigbar agreed to play cards with her, but he wasn't very talkative. And he cheated a lot. He had brought a bottle of whiskey he was willing to share, but Aqua refused. She never had alcohol before and she didn't intend to start in such poor company.

* * *

The next day happened to be quite similar. Breakfast, training, shower, lunch, moving the furniture for a change, violently smashing her pinky toe against the bed and spending thirty minutes limping, dinner, playing cards alone, sleeping. How long had it been? Around a month, probably. Already a month. Just a month. Time was a concept she had forgotten. It wasn't a thing she cared about anymore. As she lied on her bed, staring at the ceiling, she wondered what really was waiting her out there. How much of what she knew remained. How many things from her list would be impossible.

* * *

Xigbar brought her breakfast the next day with a mysterious smile on his face. She didn't like that. She didn't like Xigbar, for all that mattered. But he wouldn't tell her what was going on, and it annoyed her.

When the portal opened up for lunch, she was about to complain about how they could warn before getting in the room, when she realized it wasn't Xigbar. Vanitas was back. Finally, someone she could have real conversations with.

"How was your mission? Did you lose again?"

He staggered into the room with the tray. He didn't answer, really focused on putting the food on the desk. She frowned. Something wasn't right.

"Vanitas?"

He sat on the chair and finally looked at her. His eyes were sparkling, feverish. He was wheezing as he breathed.

"Oh, yeah, you were too pessimistic. They didn't hear me."

"That would be surprising. Are you okay?"

"But in the end, they vanished and I don't know where. So it was half a failure… I guess."

His coughings were painful to hear. Aqua came closer to him. She tried to reach him, but he recoiled.

"What are you doing?"

"What shouldn't be my job, but ends up being it. Don't move."

She put her hand on his forehead. He was burning up. Not a small fever - his temperature was alarmingly high.

"This is even worse than what I thought. Go take a cold shower. Now."

"Is it a way of telling me I smell?"

"If you don't go I will bring you there myself. Go. This will make the fever go down a bit."

She helped him walk to the shower, and then gave him some privacy while he undressed and got into the shower. Meanwhile, she started writing down some ingredients that could help him. When he got out of the shower, wearing a black coat similar as hers (for that was easier to put on), he slowly came back to the main room. She sat him on the chair and took a dry towel.

"You can't keep your hair wet. It'll get worse. Let me help."

She expertly rubbed his hair in the towel until it was dry. She had done it to Ventus so many times when he wanted to run outside with his hair soaking wet.

"Now, breathe in."

"That's weird."

"I don't care. Breathe. In." Her ear against his back, she listened as he breathed. The wheezing was strong. It could have been a severe flu, that, if not treated, could end up being really serious.

"I think I'm not feeling that…" He collapsed on the floor before have the chance to finish that sentence.

For the first time in a month, perhaps for the first time in a decade, Aqua was really worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THERE WE ARE. WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE MAIN PLOT OF THIS FIC THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A ONE-SHOT. My first idea was "Aqua is being held captive by the Norts, and Vanitas is the one guarding her. But soon enough, he starts getting ill, and she seems to be the only one who cares...". However, it didn't make sense as a one-shot. Aqua really dislikes Vanitas at first. He could pretty much have died before her without her blinking. And I also wanted them to become friends, y'know. But that meant I couldn't rush things, it would have to take some time for them to be friends enough for her to start caring about him. And in the end, that somehow became a subplot (there aren't much chapters left) in a multichaps fic x'D
> 
> Once again, if you've ever read Secret Place, you will know the main reason why he refused to write Xigbar that apology letter. If you haven't read it, well you can pretty much assume it's because of pride, 'cuz that's another reason :p


	6. Chapter 6

"Hang on, Vanitas. Just hang on."

The fever was still incredibly high. He was mumbling in his sleep, although she couldn't understand what he was saying.

She had to get some help. Quickly.

"Vanitas… Do you think… You could open up a portal?"

Was he really asleep? If he was, her words still reached him. In a flick of the wrist, the dark corridor appeared. Aqua stood in front of it.

That could be it. Her chance. She could run away and be free. And yet, all she did was screaming.

"Xigbar? XIGBAR! I'm sure you can hear me right now, so get here! Now!"

A dark hooded figure appeared through the portal. Aqua took a step back. Not Xigbar. Not even Saïx. Xemnas.

"Xigbar is currently on a mission. What could you need him for?"

She had to ignore the fact that he looked so much, so painfully like Terra. She couldn't focus on that. Not now.

"Vanitas is sick."

Xemnas didn't even spare a look to the boy. "So it seems. What of it?"

"What of it? He needs a proper medical care." She walked to her desk, took a paper on it. "See that list? Bring me all that's on it. I'm no doctor, but I will do my best."

Vanitas mumbled something. What, Aqua wasn't sure, but that sounded like swearing.

"And why should I listen to you?"

She sighed. "I am your prisoner, how come I'm the most sensed one here?"

He didn't seem to feel insulted at all, but he didn't answer either.

"You were so proud of holding a guardian of light captive. Me being here breaks the balance. Now, if Vanitas dies, don't you think your plan will be ruined? Let one of the Thirteen die, and you won't be Thirteen anymore. Let Vanitas die and you will never win."

Xemnas smiled, a cruel, cold smile. And yet so similar to Terra's it hurt.

"So you are telling me you want our plan to succeed? You want us to win?"

"What I want right now is you getting me what's on that list. If you agreed to my requests of having a clock and some hair conditioner, surely you can agree to what's on this. I doubt any of these things could be seen as a threat."

Xemnas read the list with a deadpan expression. "We could get him to his room, at least."

"I've seen how well you've taken care of him so far. Sending him on missions when he already needed rest. He thinks a Cure could heal him. A Cure! That's for wounds, not illnesses! So no, he stays here until he gets better. Now read that list, get me my stuff, before it's really too late."

Xemnas's eyes appeared… softer for a moment. His deep voice almost sounded kind, too. "You have changed a lot."

She gave him a defying look. "That's what ten years of living on your own and trying to survive does to you. There was no room for self-pity or hesitation. Decisions should be made quickly, or you die. So help me or not but decide quickly before  _he_  dies."

Without any other word, all softness gone from his eyes, Xemnas left, the list in his hand. Aqua hoped he would return soon. He had to.

"Did you just… Order… Xemnas around?"

Vanitas's raspy voice startled her. She had laid him on her bed and he was trying to sit up. She rushed to help him.

"I guess I just did."

He tried to laugh, although that was painful to hear as he mostly choked.

"He would have killed… Anyone talking to him like that. Just who are you?" He really looked impressed. She smiled. "Let's see if he brings these things back, though."

"Oh, he will. Look."

The portal opened up again. It wasn't Xemnas, but a couple of Dusks bringing all that she asked. She hurriedly took the things from their 'arms'. They left straight away, and Aqua started working.

* * *

Her first move was to damp a washcloth with cold water and to put it on his forehead. She poured in a mug a mix of lemon juice, honey and whiskey, before adding some hot water on top of it. When she gave it to him, he grimaced.

"Is that Xigbar's whiskey?"

"It is."

"He'll kill you."

"It's you or me, then. Drink. That will help."

He forced himself to drink the beverage - although she could tell by his face he disliked it. He coughed even more after it.

"That burns."

"I know. But that works. I'll make you something else so that you can sleep."

That was pretty useless - he was asleep already. And the washcloth was dry in less than five minutes. She quickly changed it for another one. He really was burning up. The fever was her biggest concern for now, but she would have to do something about that cough too before it damaged his lungs.

She took a third washcloth, damped it as well and slowly rubbed his arms and his neck with it in an attempt to cool him down.

She looked at the boiler they finally gave her with relief. That would be a great help. She poured some boiling water in a bowl and threw in some thyme. She put it next to him, hoping the fumes would help him breathe better.

* * *

For three days, she barely slept, an hour here and there, spending her time changing the washcloth, making him drink some homemade remedy and making him breath some herbal fumes. His fever, although still really high, wasn't that alarming anymore, and he coughed a bit less. When he was awake, they would speak a bit about random things or she would read him some extracts from her books.

On the third day, as she got out of the bathroom, drying her hair, she had the surprise to see the portal opened. No one seemed to come out of it, though.

"Go.", she heard his hoarse voice say.

"What?"

"This portal. It will get you out. Leave."

She ignored the portal and checked his temperature and pulse.

"I told you to leave. There is no trick. Just go."

"Why would you do that?"

He looked away, his eyes as feverish as ever. "You are the only one who actually care about me. You don't deserve to be locked here. I'm setting you free, so hurry before I change my mind."

"Don't be stupid. I'm not going anywhere."

She could see a mix of surprise and anger in his eyes. "You're the stupid one! You don't want to stay here forever, do you? You wanted an opportunity to escape. Here it is. Go, find the ones looking for you, they will protect you."

She smiled, touching his cheek.

"I might be stupid indeed. But I'm staying. As you said, I'm the only one to care about you. Meaning that if I go before you are healed, you might die."

"Exactly! Why would you care? If I die and you are free, Light is almost certain to win. Isn't it what you want? A world of light, of peace?"

He was getting agitated and she felt his fever going up again. She gave him a glass of water.

"Is it what I want? No. I want Light to win, yes. I want peace, yes. But I don't want you to die while you are under my care. You are now my responsibility, and I am not going anywhere until my duty to cure you is done. So be quiet, close that portal and sleep, now. You need some rest."

"So do you." He groaned as he closed the portal and then his eyes. She smiled, feeling the fever go down a bit.

"So do I." She conceded.

* * *

On the seventh day, she was awoken by water dripping on her. She opened her eyes to see Vanitas wringing a cloth above her head with a smirk on his face.

"Wakey wakey!"

"Vanitas? You… Is that… Are you…"

"Are we speaking the same language? I'm not sure I get you there."

"You're up! How are you feeling?" Before he had time to answer, she had already put her left hand on his forehead, checking his pulse with her right. The fever was gone and his heartbeat was regular. Still a bit slow, but nothing alarming.

"Woke up this morning feeling better than ever!"

"Turn around."

He frowned but did. "Can't bear to see my face?"

She put her ear on his back. "Breathe in and out, slowly."

He obeyed. There wasn't any wheezing left. He was cured. For real.

She let out a sigh of relief, and suddenly the fatigue of the past week rushed over her body. She was hungry, tired, and every inch of her body ached from sleeping on a chair.

"Can I… move?"

"Oh. Yes. Yes, of course."

He turned around, facing her again.

"See? It's a brand new me! All fixed up!" He was grinning and she couldn't help but smile too.

"You are. I'm glad. You scared me for a bit." She'd rather not think again of that night when he was choking and she couldn't do much to help. She thought at that time he might not pass the night. But he did.

"Aqua… Do you trust me?"

"What's with that, all of a sudden?" She asked, surprised.

"Well, do you?"

"Not much. You might be the one I trust the most around here, but I wouldn't say I would completely trust you."

"That's a bloody good answer. But for this one, I'm going to need you to trust me. Close your eyes."

She did with a sigh. She had just healed him, so she hoped he wouldn't do anything too bad. For a while, all she heard was him rummage through some paper - what was he doing? But he suddenly took her hand and guided her to somewhere in the room.

"No cheating. Wait until I say you can look."

She felt something on her face. Was it wind? What exactly…

"Open your eyes."

She did, and for a moment she was blinded. There was so much light in the room…

She waited with her eyes closed a bit longer, then slowly opened them again.

They weren't in the room.

They were outside.

She was out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it was implied by the previous chapter, but in this fic, Vanitas doesn't always wear his dark suit (I guess it would have been a different story if the lastest trailer had been out when I wrote that).
> 
> Also, Xemnas acting softer for a while... You might have guessed, but it's a fragment of Terra fighting back, this is probably the main reason why he didn't kill Aqua x'D
> 
> Next chapter will be the last! Let's let Aqua enjoy a bit of sunlight~


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end has come.. This is the final chapter. Thank you so much to all of you who took time to read these chapters, and to leave comments. Remember to always leave a comment when you enjoy a fic to let the author know their work is appreciated!

_They weren't in the room._

_They were outside._

_She was out._

* * *

She gasped and stared at Vanitas in shock. He laughed.

"That's a thank you gift. Also basically my resignation letter to the Norts, I doubt I can go back there now."

"Vanitas, that's…"

"But that's not all. I came this morning while you were sleeping for another surprise. Look over there."

He pointed something behind her, and she turned around. There were three people standing right there.

A boy with silver hair and an honest smile that she knew from long ago. Riku.

A mouse she had met again not even that long ago, through her journey in the Realm of Darkness. Mickey.

And a boy with spiky hair who looked quite embarrassed. His face was more than familiar.

"Vanitas?"

"I know, he looks like me, but less handsome. Hard to tell who was there first."

"So you're Aqua. Nice to meet you at last. My name is Sora."

Sora. The saviour of the worlds. The keyblade wielder. The key to many destinies. She had met him when he was just a child, and now he barely looked any younger than her.

"Sora. Mickey. Riku. Long time no see."

"We shouldn't stay here. It's too dangerous. Vanitas led us here, telling us we'd find you, but we have to move now. We'll talk later." Riku stated, glancing around.

"Follow us, Aqua! I'll introduce you to everyone! With you by our side, Light will prevail for sure! Aqua…?"

Sora had sounded really enthusiastic, but when he stretched out his hand to Aqua, she stepped back. Sora tried to take a step in her direction, but she stepped back once again.

"Aqua, what are you…" started Vanitas. He stopped once he saw her face. Her terrified face.

"Could it be…. You didn't want to come?"

It was as if time had frozen. She was paralyzed, her breathe heavy and uneven. She grabbed Vanitas by the wrist.

"Take me back. It might not be too late."

* * *

After a short silence, Sora let a small, awkward laugh out. "What do you mean?"

Vanitas looked at her, and spoke softly. "Aqua, they have been trying to save you forever. They are the key to your freedom. Why don't you… Oh."

He fell silent, suddenly understanding the truth.

"You never wanted to escape. That's why you never tried. Your plan never had been to get out. You never wanted to know about Ventus or Terra, you never even tried to summon your keyblade. Your plan was to stay out of this world. But what about these papers?" He showed the pile of paper he took on her desk. "What about the list of things you'd do once you got out? What about your memoirs?"

Tears held back for too long started rolling on Aqua's face. She was shaking, and her voice was unsteady.

"I don't want that. I don't want to fight. I told you before, I fought for too long. I want peace. Even if that means staying in a cage for my entire life. Even if that means never seeing the sky again. I'm tired of fighting, and I don't want any part in this war. Take me back, please just take me back!"

* * *

The atmosphere was now really unbearable. Sora looked at his friends, lost. Vanitas had taken Aqua's hand in his own. Aqua was crying, terrified. She was but a scared little girl at this moment. A scared little girl who wanted to go home, curl into her bed and sleep forever.

"You can't take her back." Simply stated Riku.

"We won't force you to fight if you don't want to." Kindly added Sora, although they all knew how much of a lie it was. If she wanted to save Ventus and Terra, she would have to fight. If she wanted to protect the worlds, she would have to fight.

She gave a desperate look at Vanitas.

"Don't let them take me with them. Please, don't let them, I can't…"

She was interrupted by his lips on hers. She wanted to fight back, and then realised she didn't. She wanted that kiss just as much as he did. She closed her eyes, feeling safe in the arms he was wrapping around her.

"Thanks for everything, Aqua. You deserve to be happy. But for that, you deserve to be free. I hope I'll be able to hear you laugh again."

He kissed her another time, sliding his hands on the back of her neck. When she realised what he was doing, it was too late. His hands had found the vital point on her neck and pressed it until she'd lose consciousness.

As she was passing out, she felt his arms grab her, and handing her to Riku.

"It's what is best for her. Take care of her. Although I have to warn you: we might have set her standards a bit high for the last month, especially when it comes to food. Good luck with that."

"Vani...tas… don't…"

He softly kissed her on the forehead. "Thank you for everything. We'll meet again. I promise."

She felt his fingertips touching her cheek one last time until she completely lost consciousness.

* * *

It had been two months now. The Guardians of Light's hideout was in fact under the Castle in Radiant Garden. Aqua had resumed her training, her heart heavy. Master Yen Sid was carefully studying her notes about the Realm of Darkness, occasionally asking her about some details.

No one was really pushing her. She trained when she felt like it. There was always someone to go with her when she traveled through worlds. She learnt about Zack's disappearance with a sadness she didn't thought she could still muster. 626 was apparently doing good in a place named Hawaii. Peter and the Lost Boys welcomed her as an old friend, and it felt like she was only gone for a week. Kairi took her to the beach and they enjoyed the sea and the sun together. She taught Lea the rules of Fruit Scatters and they were both unbeatable.

No one knew where Ven was, which meant he was probably safe. She would eventually tell them were he was, but she wasn't ready to throw him into the war.

No one knew how to bring Terra back either, and she feared it meant she would have to fight Xemnas to get him back. Either that, or lose him forever.

Sora had given her Master Keeper back. She still couldn't summon Stormfall. She still couldn't use her Glider.

Everyone was kind with her, the food was good (although it didn't match the former cook's), she could live at her own pace. It almost seemed peaceful, save for the few Heartless that sometimes showed up. But something was missing. She still felt like her life was lacking of something.

* * *

"Aqua? There's someone for you. Told him to wait in the dining room." She thanked Kairi, closed her book and made her way to the room. Who could it be? Perhaps it was Cloud, once again. Aerith, Tifa and him kept on asking questions about what she remembered of Zack. She never dared telling them that it pained her a lot. Or maybe Merlin? The old wizard loved talking about magic. But once he had started talking, there was no stopping him for hours, and that exhausted her. With a sigh, she pushed the door of the room.

"Guess who's back in town?"

She stared at Vanitas, not trusting her own eyes. Sora was there too, and he grinned at Aqua.

"We've been talking with the others. Since Vanitas ran away from the new Organization XIII, and we think we can trust him…"

"I heard they needed a sidekick, so here I am. Also, you won our latest card game and I came for a revenge. I hope you didn't think you were rid of me!"

Aqua ran to him, cupped his head into her hands and kissed him.

"You are so stupid and I hate you, Vanitas."

She burst into laughters.

"But for Light's sake, I missed you so much."

He hugged her, both incredibly happy.

"Glad to hear you laugh again."

"You'll soon get sick of it."

"No worries, I know someone who's good at healing me."

She laughed again.

For the first time in a decade, she finally was free.

The birdcage was open, and she flew away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot for your continued support. I hope you're not tired of me, because I have other things to post... A lot of other things x'D (mmmh, is there any other Vanqua planned... *checks* Oh, yes, there is! :D )
> 
> There is one interrogation that wasn't much addressed in this fic, and I have to answer to that: the cook. Who was that wonderful cook, litterally this fic's best character? His own identity was even hinted on the tags. Well... It was probably a Dusk. Dusks in the Days manga are adorable, and they do all the chores. They are really sweet with Xion and Kairi, because they don't treat them poorly, so I think it would make sense for a Dusk to be the cuty pie cooking all this delicious food. You are still free to imagine Master Xehanort in an apron if you'd like, though. I'd rather not.
> 
> See you soon for another fic :D (like, tomorrow? xDD )


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